


My Side Will Grow Cold Without You Near

by dragonsofarlathan



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Angst, But whatever, Cure for the Taint, Established Relationship, Even though that's what an old married couple is, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Old Married Couple, The angst isn't high key but it definitely is there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 14:45:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13813386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonsofarlathan/pseuds/dragonsofarlathan
Summary: While in Amaranthine early in the investigation into the strange behavior of the wardens, Venowen receives an important but ill-timed letter.





	My Side Will Grow Cold Without You Near

The news reached them from a messenger while they stayed at an inn in Amaranthine: There was a cure to the Taint west of the Anderfels. It came from one of the Hero of Ferelden's informants, people personally recruited by her close friends, Leliana and Zevran Arainai. All of the Hero's informants were well-trusted and professionally trained, meaning they knew what a proper lead looked like. They were to inform the Hero of any new developments as they continued their search, all of them using a special code in case an enemy of the wardens—or the enemies of a few wardens in particular—intercepted the letter.

 

So far, the informants had made little progress. That is, until a message came for the Warden early one morning. Venowen and Alistair had just climbed into bed two hours earlier thanks to an all-night celebration orchestrated by Seneschal Varel. When they heard the knocking at the door, Alistair and Venowen were both reluctant to get up.

 

"It could be someone important," Venowen mumbled into the pillow.

 

"Or it could be Garevel flirting with one of us again," Alistair chuckled, his eyes still closed.

 

Venowen laughed. "I don't know, he seemed pretty keen on you last night. He's a flirty drunk, I'll say."

 

There was another knock at the door. Alistair groaned.

 

"I'll get it," he said, slowly lifting himself up from the bed, "I need to use the latrine, anyway."

 

"How nice of you," Venowen said before taking more of the blankets and snuggling in. Alistair laughed as he finally sat up.

 

He stood up and stretched his body before walking towards the door. He was glad he was still wearing his pants from last night because he knew he would not be able to care enough to put a pair on.

 

"Yes?" Alistair asked, swinging the door open. There was an elf before him, dressed in a messenger's garb. He seemed fidgety, so Alistair smiled at him, trying to set the elf's mind at ease.

 

The elf smiled back and handed Alistair the letter. "For Mrs. Tabris, the Hero of Ferelden, from 'The Dark Wolf'."

 

Alistair, already reaching for the letter, stopped in his tracks. When Venowen helped Slim Couldry terrorize the rich in Denerim, the people started calling her the 'Dark Wolf'. Then, Ven discovered a man in Amaranthine was going by her nickname when she was investigating a few nobles who wanted to kill her. It was agreed when she recruited her group of spies that they would go by the alias 'the Dark Wolf', that way anyone close enough to Venowen, like all her old companions, would know what the letter was about, but anyone else would just assume it had to do with the Amaranthine imposter.

 

Alistair recovered quickly from his shock and took the letter from the messenger. He said his farewells and shut the door behind the messenger before walking back to where Venowen laid.

 

He stood there for a moment, just watching her sleep. He knew that whatever was in this letter could potentially change everything. The Orlesian wardens were acting strange, and if this had something to do with the cure, Alistair knew he would have to stay behind and help Orlais out of their mess. They were in Amaranthine at the moment to ensure the wardens in Ferelden were not acting strange, too; they weren't, to both Venowen and Alistair's relief, but they were still unsure of what was happening to the Orlesian wardens, especially since none of them answered the letters Alistair and Venowen sent. The wardens in Orlais had gone dark, and it was more or less a guessing game as to why. Ven and Alistair planned to investigate together, though, unless something came up.

 

Something like the cure.

 

Alistair took a shaky breath and sat on the bed next to Venowen.

 

"You have a letter, Mrs. Tabris," he said, trying to keep some light in his voice even through his fear.

 

"From the Dark Wolf, right?" Venowen asked, still not looking up from her pillow. Alistair sighed.

 

"Yes."

 

Venowen kept her face in the pillow for another moment before reluctantly dragging her body into a sitting position.  She held her hand out, and Alistair gave it to her. He watched her as she read it, but her face didn't give anything away. When she finished, she sighed.

 

"What did it say?" he asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. They just needed a few more months to figure out what was wrong with the Orlesian wardens, then Alistair could go with her. Just a few more months.

 

"It says that they have reason to believe that there might be a cure to the Taint west of the Anderfels. From what we know, it's never been affected by the Blights. They have a contact waiting by the Volea Sea, but she's only going to be there for another week. I have to leave now."

 

Alistair shook his head. "Do we know where anyone is? Oghren, Leliana, Zevran? Anyone?"

 

Venowen stared at the ground as she started rattling the names and locations of their friends off, using her hands as she counted. "Oghren is in Redcliffe visiting his wife, Leliana is in Orlais with the Divine, Zevran is in the Free Marches with Isabela—you remember Isabela, right? They're doing something for that guy, Matthew Hawke, I don't remember what, though. I haven't seen Morrigan in years, Wynne is...gone, I haven't heard from Shale since Wynne, Anders and Justice stopped answering my letters after they blew up that Chantry in Kirkwall, Sigrun and Nathaniel are on an expedition into the Deep Roads for...something—I can't remember what, but it's important—and Sten is still with his people." Venowen looked back at Alistair. "Everyone is busy, or they're too far out of the way to make it in time. I'd take Tathas with me, but the healer said he needs to rest for at least another week, and he can't be fighting for another two while he recovers from that thing he ate."

 

"What about one of the wardens here? Can't you take some of them with you?"

 

"I don't trust them enough, Alistair," she said, shaking her head. "This is a really important mission: I don't want to be worrying about if they can even wield a sword or have my back. Plus, we don't know what's going on with the Orlesian wardens. What if one of them starts acting weird? I'm better off by myself."

 

Venowen unwrapped herself from the covers and walked to the other side of the room where her things were lying haphazardly on the floor. She started packing her clothes into one of their bags.

 

"Please, don't go by yourself," he pleaded. "Have you met anyone who's been west of the Volea Sea? Have you heard of anyone go west of the Volea Sea, even in stories? It's not safe, Ven."

 

Venowen buttoned the backpack up and looked at him. "What other choice do we have, Alistair? If we don't find the cure for the taint, we'll both be dead in twenty years, and half the people I know will be dead in twenty-five. I'm not ready to give up, and if that means I have to go alone, then I'll go. If it gives all of us a few more years, then it's worth it. I slew the fucking _Archdemon_ and united Ferelden. How hard can this be?"

 

Venowen ended her sentence with her stupid smirk, and Alistair couldn't help but smile. She was impossible, but that didn't mean she was wrong. He knew her fighting was superb, as were all her skills as a rogue. He hated her going alone, but if anyone could do it, she could.

 

"Please, promise me you'll be safe, at least."

 

She walked over to him and took his hands in hers. "Of course I will, Ali. As safe as I can be. And I'll write you as much as I can, at least until I reach the Volea Sea. I doubt they're going to have messengers there." She grinned, and Alistair melted. Maker, he was going to miss her.

 

She kissed him chastely, then went back to the other side of the room and grabbed her bag and armor. Alistair knew she had to leave now, but he was still reeling from the suddenness of it all. He could hardly believe that they were drinking and laughing and partying less than four hours ago.

 

Alistair waited by the door to say his goodbyes to her—except it wasn't a usual goodbye. Alistair joked about her messy hair, and Venowen swore that if he so much as looked at any of her daggers, she would know, and she'd gut him as soon as she returned to their house near Redcliffe. He told her that if she had any new scars that he'd get a divorce, and she told him that if Tathas was with Teagan or Anora when she returned and not there greeting her with Alistair, then _she_ would divorce _him_. As they usually did, they made a bet when they departed, this time about giant spiders—Alistair absolutely hated giant spiders, and he wanted to believe there was a place in the world without them.

 

They kissed a long, wet kiss, then Venowen waved goodbye as she walked out the door and down the path towards the city of Amaranthine. They never said "I love you" or "goodbye" because it didn't need to be said. After so many years together, they both just knew.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Don't hesitate to leave a comment, they fuel my ego and make me write more x)  
> I have a [Tumblr!](https://aveline-the-dragon-slayer.tumblr.com/)


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